* To read a google-translated recap of a recent performance click here, and a photo album is available here.

Dear Duck Fans,

I thought that I would catch you up with what I have been up to in Puerto Rico since I have been here for over a month already!

Our Ponce Lions teams won our match last night versus Corozal in 4 games. We have a home game on Monday, and home games are my favorite. We play two or three times a week on all different days of the week, and teams are located all over the island. We play them once on their home court and once on our own court, so everyone does equal traveling. The Americans that I am living with and myself drive on our own to all of the games which is quite the adventure. Some places are almost 2 hours away and in all different climates. It is really fun to see all of the different Americans on the other teams. There are usually two girls on the other side of the net that I have either played against at one point in my career or know somehow.

I am still playing as an outside hitter, and I get to play all of the way around like I did in college. Responsibilities are mostly the same. The level of talent is pretty high. A lot of the players here are older, and they have a lot of experience which means that they don’t make very many mistakes. Matches are often close and intense, and crunch time performances are important.

Our team is improving with every game. We are really getting along and everyone is excited that we have won some of those tight games. We have a lot to improve on, but we have that fighting spirit which is key when you have to play so often. Wish us luck!

In the preseason, we practiced around four times a week and weight-lifted two times a week. Everything is constantly changing once we started playing matches. The season will go fast as the regular season is over on April 10th and then playoffs follow after that. The opening week, we played one home game and one away game. We lost both of the games but they were really close, and everyone was really optimistic that the team will improve as the season goes on.

I am healthy and getting very tan! My fiancée calls my laying out in the sun "lizarding" and I am doing lots of that which I am completely enjoying. I am living with two other American girls, Nellie (Spicer, former UCLA player) and Sarah. We share a three bedroom, two bathroom apartment that is close to our practice facility and gym. They are really nice and we get along really well. This is one of the things that I am most thankful for, constant friends and someone to explore or go on an adventure with. And we have been doing lots of exploring!

Many of my teammates commute to (to the town of) Ponce; four or five have children; and almost all of them either work or go to school. That means they are quite busy during the day so we practice at night. This means that we have a lot of free time and even more days off than I was expecting. We have been doing a great job filling days with adventures and trying out Puerto Rican food. We have hiked to a waterfall in San Sebastian, gone to the beaches at Playa Santa, Playa Isabella in Aguadilla (which is the part of the island that was a military reserve base) and Ocean Park which is in San Juan. We went zip-lining and cave exploring in the rainforest in the north part of the island. This was a whole day adventure that was absolutely amazing and something that I will remember forever. Our general manager took us out on his boat to an island called Calde de Muerto, this is because it looks like a coffin from the interstate. The water was turquoise and as warm as bath water. There is a pool at our apartment complex which we are at often. I am reading a lot and attempting to teach myself to play the guitar. We have seen lots of movies in the theaters also, and they only cost between $3 and $5 which is sooooo cheap!

We have had lots of Puerto Rican food which is really yummy and equally as bad for you. One of my favorite things is BBQ chicken, pork or ribs and rice that come out of a blue bus that is parked on the side of the road near our apartment. It is a really well known place, and we found out about it from the American guys that lived in Ponce before us. I have tried amarillos, tostones and mofongo which are all different was of preparing plantains. Amarillos are my favorite, and they are the sweet version. Nellie cooks rice and beans Puerto Rican style which means lots of spices and grilled veggies, soooooo good! We have had seafood empanadillas with octopus, squid and shrimp in them. Someone from the team took us out to a restaurant called Casa de Chef (The House of the Chef) where I had a flank steak, grilled veggies and garlic bread that was very good. Our general manager’s wife showed us how to make a dip that is guava paste and cream cheese mixed together that you eat with Ritz crackers. It is so good that I might try to bring some of it home. I also try to cook food at home a lot but it has been fun to try all of the different cultural foods.

We met an older American couple that lives in our complex at the pool yesterday. He is the headmaster at a local English-speaking school and his wife teaches there as well. They invited us to come and speak with the students and help out whenever we want. I think that we are going to try and go sometime next week in between games and practice. They are so nice and told us of about ten more things that we have to see before we leave the island. They are going to give us a "settling in" book that they have compiled for all of the visitors that they have had. It was so nice to meet some other Americans, and I can't wait to do all of the things that they suggested for us to do.

I am having so much fun writing this and looking back on all of the things that I have already done. I am here to play volleyball first and foremost but it had been such a wonderful journey already, and I am excited to have more time here. I do miss Eugene and Lake Arrowhead, but being away has made me realize how special everyone is in my life, and I truly look forward to seeing everyone again. I will be having some visitors when I am down here and I can't wait!!!! Ten days until the first two arrive! (Not that I'm counting down or anything). I am sending some sunshine your way and hope that this email finds you healthy and happy and not to down by all of the rain or snow that you are enjoying.

Take Care and Much Love,

Sonja

P.S.

I attached some pictures – I hope you enjoy!

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